Study Regarding the Perception on the Personality Traits in Managerial Decision Making

Mihaela Rus¹, Tănase Tasențe², Mihaela Luminita Sandu³

Abstract: The decision-making process is “entirely dependent on the people and is a central activity of the manager, all other activities being undertaken to ensure correct decisions or, if the decision has already been taken, to implement and monitor its effectiveness”. Thus, managers are constantly required to evaluate alternatives and make decisions regarding a broad approach. Our research was carried out between April 20-30, 2019. An online questionnaire was applied, on a sample consisting of 30 managers, contractors or employees with execution functions. The main research objectives are: analyzing the main personality traits of a manager and identifying how these personality traits can influence managerial decision. To achieve the research objectives, we will analyze the perception of personality traits for a good manager, according to the following indicators: (1) dominance, (2) self-control, (3) psychological well-being, (4) capacity for status, (5) community, (6) social conformity, (7) empathy, (8) flexibility, (9) conceptual fluency, (10) positive impression, (11) self-confidence, (12) independence, (13) psychological intuition, (14) social presence, (15) achievement through independence, (16) achievement through conformity, (17) responsibility, (18) sensitivity, (19) sociability, (20) tolerance.

Keywords: personality trails; managerial decision; leadership styles

1. Introduction

Decisions are the essence of management and are active in all business plans and results of the company. The study of the decision-making process is becoming more and more important, as the effectiveness of business activities depends on how the decisions are largely designed and implemented. When we look at the nature of the decision making process, the constant and always present factor is the decision factor. The fact that information collection and evaluation systems are highly developed will not mean anything for an unrecognized problem or for an undetected information need.

According to Omarli (2017), the decision-making process is “entirely dependent on the people and is a central activity of the manager, all other activities being undertaken to ensure correct decisions or, if the decision has already been taken, to implement and monitor its effectiveness”. Thus, managers are constantly required to evaluate alternatives and make decisions regarding a broad approach.

Moreover, in the specialized literature, the personality traits of the manager are often remembered, being one of the central and complex problems of human factor analysis and constitute an object of study for fields such as managerial psychology and managerial communication.

Through personality, we can understand the sum of the epistemic, pragmatic and axiological functions of the human being, and psychology defines personality as an informational and operational macrosystem, having defining characteristics for the subject. Ion Dafinoiu (2002) makes the distinction between the concept of the person and his personality: “The concept of person designates the concrete human individual. Personality, on the contrary, is a theoretical construction elaborated by psychology for the purpose of understanding and explanation - at the level of scientific theory - of the mode of being and functioning that characterizes the person as a psychophysiological organism”.

The manager's personality, along with other important factors (such as environmental), can greatly affect the managerial style, implicitly the managerial decision. Thus, according to the three-dimensional theory, which takes into account characteristics such as: concern for tasks, concern for human contacts, concern for efficiency, there are the following managerial styles (Verboncu I., 2005, p.27-28): negative, bureaucratic, autocratic, autocrat with good will, generous, hesitant, promoter, producer. Thus, we can distinguish 3 major categories of leadership styles: autocratic (authoritarian), democratic (participatory), liberal (permissive).

Loring McAllister (1996) identified a series of 20 personality traits that influence managerial decisions:

1. Dominance (Do). Factors of leadership ability, dominance, persistence, and social initiative.

2. Capacity for Status (Cs) - Personal qualities and attributes that underlie and lead to the attainment of status and symbols o success.

3. Sociability (Sy) - Characteristics relating to gregariousness, outgoing, sociable, participative temperament.

4. Social Presence (Sp) - Factors relating to poise, spontaneity, and self-confidence in personal and social interaction.

5. Self-Acceptance (Sa) - Factors such as sense of personal worth, self-acceptance, and capacity for independent thinking and action.

6. Independence (In) - To identify individuals who are independent, confident, and resourceful, but not necessarily affiliative.

7. Empathy (Em) - One's capacity to think intuitively about people and to understand their feelings and attitudes.

8. Responsibility (Re) - To identify one's level l of conscientiousness, responsibity, and dependability.

9. Socialization (So) - The degree of social maturity, integrity, and rectitude that the individual has attained.

10. Self-Control (Sc) - This scale was developed to assess the degree and adequacy of self-regulation, self-control, and freedom from impulsivity and self-centeredness.

11. Good Impression (Gi) - Assesses one's ability to create a favorable impression and level of concerned about how others react to them.

12. Communality (Cm) - The degree to which an individual's reactions and responses correspond to the modal or common pattern established for the inventory.

13. Sense of Well Being (Wb) - Identifies persons who minimize their worries and complaints and who are relatively free from self-doubt and disillusionment.

14. Tolerance (To) - To identify persons with permissive, accepting, and nonjudgmental social beliefs and attitudes.

15. Achievement via Conformance (Ac) - To identify those factors of interest and motivation that facilitate achievement in any setting where conformance is a positive behavior.

16. Achievement via Independence (Al) - To identify those factors of interest and motivation that facilitate achievement in any setting where autonomy and independence are positive behaviors.

17. Intellectual Efficiency (le) - To identify the degree of personal and intellectual efficiency that the individual has attained.

18. Psychological - Mindedness (Py) - The degree to which the individual is interested in, and responsive to, the inner needs, motives, and experiences of others.

19. Flexibility (Fx) - The degree of flexibility and adaptability of a person's thinking and social behavior.

20. Femininity/Masculinity (F/M) - A person's interest in and capacity for patience and personal and interpersonal sensitivity.

2 Study Regarding the Perception on the Personality Traits of a Manager

2.1. Research Objectives

O1: Analyzing the main personality traits of a manager

O2: Identifying how these personality traits can influence managerial decision

2.2. Methodology

The research was carried out between April 20-30, 2019. An online questionnaire was applied, on a sample consisting of 30 managers, contractors or employees with execution functions. The sample consists of 81.82% women and 18.18% men. The majority (45.45%) are between the ages of 18 and 25, 27.27% - 26-35 years, and 27% from 36 years old. From the perspective of the position occupied in the company, most of the respondents (63.64%) occupy top management positions, 27.27% are executives, and 9.09% occupy middle management positions. The most frequently mentioned areas of activity of the respondents are: accounting, commerce, production, law and marketing / advertising.

2.3. Centralization and Data Analysis

To achieve the research objectives, we will analyze the perception of personality traits for a good manager, according to the following indicators: (1) dominance, (2) self-control, (3) psychological well-being, (4) capacity for status, (5) community, (6) social conformity, (7) empathy, (8) flexibility, (9) conceptual fluency, (10) positive impression, (11) self-confidence, (12) independence, (13) psychological intuition, (14) social presence, (15) achievement through independence, (16) achievement through conformity, (17) responsibility, (18) sensitivity, (19) sociability, (20) tolerance.

1. Dominance. The study participants noted the dominance - as a personality trait of a manager with a score of 3.25 out of 5 and a standard deviation of 1.29. Thus, the majority of respondents (45.45%) rated this feature with note 3, followed by 36.36%, which scored with 4 and 5 (ie important and very important), and only 18.18% considered this feature is not important in the managerial decision process, noting “dominance” with notes 1 and 2 of 5.

2. Self-control. The study participants noted self-control - as a personality trait of a manager with a score of 3.92 out of 5 and a standard deviation of 1.08. Thus, the majority of respondents (72.73%) rated this feature with grade 4 and 5 (ie important and very important), followed by 18.18% who scored with 1 and 2 (ie not at all important) and a percentage of only 9,09% consider this feature less important in the managerial decision process, noting with note 3 of 5.

3. Psychological well-being. The participants in the study noted the psychological well-being - as a personality trait of a manager with a score of 3.92 out of 5 and with a standard deviation of 1.38. Thus, the majority of respondents (63.64%) rated this feature with grade 4 and 5 (ie important and very important), followed by 18.18% who scored with 1 and 2 (ie not at all important) and a percentage of 18,18% consider this feature less important in the managerial decision process, scoring 3 out of 5.

4. Status capacity. The study participants noted the status capacity - as a personality trait of a manager with a score of 3.25 out of 5 and a standard deviation of 1.22. Thus, the majority of respondents (36.36%) rated this feature with grade 4 and 5 (ie important and very important), followed by 36.36% who scored with 3 (ie slightly important) and a percentage of only 27.27% considers this feature less important in the managerial decision process, noting with notes 1 and 2 (which is very less important) out of 5.

5. Communality. The study participants noted the community - as a personality trait of a manager with a score of 2.75 out of 5 and a standard deviation of 1.22. Thus, the majority of the respondents (36.36%) rated this feature with note 1 and 2 (ie not important), followed by 36.36% who scored with 4 (ie important).

6. Social conformism. The study participants noted social conformity - as a personality trait of a manager with an average score of 2.17 out of 5 and a standard deviation of 1.03. Thus the majority (63.64%) rated this trait note 1 and 2 (ie unimportant and very unimportant), followed by 27.27% who note 3 (ie less important) and a rate of only 9.09% considers this feature very important in the managerial decision process, noting with note 4 and 5 (ie important and very important) of 5.

7. Empathy. The study participants noted empathy - as a personality trait of a manager with a rating of 3 out of 5 and with a standard deviation of 0.95. Thus, the majority of the respondents (45.45%) rated this feature with note 3 and (ie slightly important), followed by 36.36% who scored with 1 and 2 (not important) and a percentage of only 18.18% considered this important and very important feature in the managerial decision process, scoring 4 and 5 out of 5.

8. Flexibility. The study participants noted the flexibility - as a personality trait of a manager with a score of 3.17 out of 5 and a standard deviation of 1.19. Thus, most respondents (45.45%) rated this feature with 3 (ie slightly important), followed by 27.27% who scored with 4 and 5 (ie important and very important) and a percentage of only 27.27% considers this feature to be important in the managerial decision process, scoring 1 and 2 out of 5.

9. Conceptual fluency. The study participants noted the conceptual fluency - as a personality trait of a manager with 3.08 out of 5 and with a standard deviation of 1.31. Thus, the majority of respondents (45.45%) rated this trait with 3 (ie slightly important), followed by 27.27% who scored with 5 (ie very important) and 27.27% considered this trait less important in the management decision process.

10. Positive impression. The participants in the study noted the positive impression - as a personality trait of a manager with 3.33 out of 5 and with a standard deviation of 1.3. Thus, the majority of respondents (36.36%) rated this feature with grade 4 and 5 (ie important and very important), followed by 36.36% who scored with 3 (ie slightly important) and a percentage of only 27.27 % considers this feature to be important in the managerial decision process, scoring 1 and 2 out of 5.

11. Self-confidence. The participants in the study noted the self-confidence as a personality trait of a manager with 3.92 out of 5 and with a standard deviation of 1.56. Thus, most respondents (63.64%) rated this feature with 5 (ie very important), followed by 18.18% who scored with 3 (ie slightly important) and a percentage of only 18.18% considered this feature not important in the managerial decision process, scoring 1 out of 5.

12. Independence. The study participants noted independence - as a personality trait of a manager with 3.67 out of 5 and with a standard deviation of 1.23. Thus most respondents (45.45%) rated this feature with 5 out of 5 (ie very important), followed by 45.45% who scored with 3 and 4 (ie slightly important) and a percentage of only 9.09% considers this feature as unimportant in the management decision, noting 1 of 5.

13. Psychological intuition. The study participants noted the psychological intuition - as a personality trait of a manager with 3.25 out of 5 and with a standard deviation of 1.36. Thus, the majority of respondents (45.45%) rated this feature with 4 and 5 (ie important and very important), followed by 27.27% who scored with 3 (ie slightly important) and 27.27% considered this feature is not important in the managerial decision process, with notes 1 and 2 of 5.

14. Social presence. The study participants noted the social presence - as a personality trait of a manager with 3.58 out of 5 and with a standard deviation of 1. Thus, most respondents (54.55%) rated this trait with 4 and 5 (ie very important and very important), followed by 27.27% who scored 3 (ie slightly important) and only 18.18% considered this personality trait not important in the managerial decision process, scoring 1 and 2 out of 5.

15. Achievement through independence. The study participants noted the achievement through independence - as a feature of the personality of a manager with 3.33 out of 5 and with a standard deviation of 1.44. Thus, the majority of respondents (45.45%) rated this feature with 3 (ie slightly important), followed by 36.36% who scored with 5 (ie very important) and a percentage of only 18.18% considered this feature not important in the managerial decision process, scoring 1 out of 5.

16. Realization through conformism. The study participants noted the achievement through conformity - as a feature of the personality of a manager with 2.42 out of 5 and with a standard deviation of 1.24. Thus, the majority of respondents (45.45%) rated this feature with 3 (that is, not important), followed by 45.45% who scored with 1 (ie not important) and a percentage of only 9.09% considered this feature very important in the managerial decision process, scoring 5 out of 5.

17. Responsibility. The study participants noted the responsibility - as a personality trait of a manager with 3.92 out of 5 and with a standard deviation of 1.56. Thus, the majority of respondents (63.64%) rated this feature with grade 4 and 5 (ie important and very important), followed by 18.18% who scored with 3 (ie slightly important) and a percentage of only 18.18 % considers this feature not important in the managerial decision process, noting with note 1 of 5.

18. Sensitivity. The study participants noted the sensitivity - as a personality trait of a manager with 2.42 out of 5 and with a standard deviation of 1.24. Thus, the majority of respondents (54.55%) rated this feature with 1 and 2 (ie not important and not very important), followed by 27.27% who scored with 3 (ie slightly important) and a percentage of only 18.18 % considers this feature very important in the managerial decision process, scoring 4 and 5 out of 5.

19. Sociability. The study participants noted sociability - as a personality trait of a manager with a score of 3.17 out of 5 and a standard deviation of 1.27. Thus, the majority of the respondents (54.55%) rated this feature with 3 (ie slightly important), followed by 27.27% who scored with 4 and 5 (ie very important) and a percentage of only 18.18% considered it not important this personality trait in the managerial decision process, scoring 1 out of 5.

20. Tolerance. The study participants noted the tolerance - as a personality trait of a manager with 3.08 out of 5 and with a standard deviation of 1.24. Thus, most respondents (36.36%) rated this feature with 4 and 5 (ie important and very important), followed by 36.36% who scored with 1 and 2 (ie not at all important) and a percentage of only 27, 27% consider this feature a little important in the managerial decision process, scoring 3 out of 5.

3 Conclusions

The motivation of the staff, as a factor in determining its performance, should be of high importance within an organization, and this should be reflected in the organizational policy as a whole. It is desirable that human resources have a special status in the activity of resource management and to take into account the specificity of the employees of an organization in the implementation of its objectives and strategy. As the case study has shown, the decision making and transmission modalities as well as their application are in line with the specifics of the members of a group, the more they will assume those lines of action and they will be involved in achieving the goals.

In the perception of the study participants, most of them occupying top management and middle management positions, the most important personality traits that a manager must acquire when making important decisions for the future of the company and its employees are: self confidence, responsibility, auto-control and psychological well-being. These 4 main characteristics, in the perception of those questioned, can lead to the good performance of the organizational activity, can contribute to the building of a favorable organizational climate and to the elimination of the presumed tensions that can defend within the organizational framework.

At the same time, on the other hand, the least important traits emphasized by the respondents regarding the personality of a manager are: sensitivity, community, social conformity tolerance. In other words, a much too emotional attitude towards certain situations and / or people coming from the managers, can destabilize the good functioning of the organization, because the emotion is the opposite of the reason, and it is not based on objective, optimal criteria, in making a decision. In other words, the personality traits recommended by the majority of those questioned must be generally rational and balanced.

4 References

Omarli, S. (2017). Which Factors have an Impact on Managerial Decision-Making Process? An Integrated Framework. Essays in Economics and Business Studies. DOI: 10.18427/iri-2017-0068.

Dafinoiu I. (2002). Personalitatea. Metode calitative de abordare: Observaţia şi interviul/ Personality. Qualitative methods of approach: Observation and interview. Iasi: Polirom.

Verboncu, I. (2005) Ştim să conducem?. Bucharest: Editura Economică.

McAllister, L. (1996). CPI Interpretation, 3rd ed. California: Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.